Clash and Burn
by Mrs.Ishida-to-you
Summary: When you have two opposing peoples, what are you supposed to do when your heart wants an enemy? Sorato, R&R please! :D
1. Chapter 1

Hey guys! I'm baaa-ack! I know, I just finished 'Stuck in the Woods With Your Ex' a few days ago, but this one has been sitting on the brain for quite a while now! Finally, I can start publishing this! I think this one will be quite long... it has a LOT of twists and drama-rama in it. So, enjoy!

Mrs. Ishida presents...

Chapter one

"Today, we gather here in the burial fields in the midst of winter for a terrible, yet wonderful day." the tall, aged, intimidating man said in a deep voice, immediately quieting everyone in the field. He was just like everyone else in this field, except for one thing; everyone else's eyes were dark, some even with an odd rusty color or at the lightest, hazel. He had eyes that matched the river that flowed next to them; and his brown hair held traces of gold in them, most unusual in a land where most had darker or reddish hair. Only the sounds of the nearby river, the occaisional sob, or the sounds of the wind blowing through the forst could be heard in the following silence. He continued, "We all gather to watch the burial of two of the most influential people this tribe has ever seen. Many of you, myself included, would not be here were it not for them. But, I think it's fitting, not only for the younger generation to pass on to their children, but to honor their memory, if I tell you the story. The long story that seems to come out of myths and legend, filled with war, love, pain, anger, and ultimately, understanding. My people, I now present to you the story of the chief and his most dearly loved wife, Matt and Sora. The story begins almost 60 years ago, at the beginning of the conquest of our land. The strange men that seemed to have come from another world had just set foot on our land, and it seemed it did not take them long before they started taking our land, killing our people, and bringing our people's hard earned peace to an end."

(60 years before)

"Chief Takenouchi, there have been more reports of the strange men landing on our shores. They have set up camps not many miles from this very area" the peaceful setting of the large tent was broken as a young man, obviously a soldier, about 20 or so, came in with a worried tone. The inhabitants of the tent looked up from the fire they were sitting around.

'That makes... how many of them? 120 new men in the past month?" a middle aged woman turned to the man at the head of the circle.

"I'm afraid of what we're going to have to do... we can't let them keep coming... they are murdering our people and taking our land. I don''t want a war, but they don't seem to have any intention of talking to us," the man said, furrowing him brow. The others in the tent, all women, most of them in their teens or early twenties, were used to this. They too were worried, but over the past few months, with more and more reports of the strange invaders, grew more and more used to these frequent discussion. One girl in particular, a girl with red-brown hair and eyes of the same odd color, sighed. She didn't even bother uttering her idea.

_'Father, why don't we just send someone... an ambassador or something, and work something out? There has to be a peaceful way to settle this!'_

_'I wish it were so, but as it is, and as I have told you many times before, they won't talk to us. It seems war or something like it is our only option of driving them from this land.'_

'If he'd only just listen to me... there has to be _one_ of them who has some sense in them... _one_ of them must be willing to avoid all this senseless bloodshed!' she thought sadly, glaring down at her half finished bowl of soup.

(miles away)

"Hey Matt, I bet you 20 gold pieces that I can swim across that river faster than you can!" The smell of wine that emanated from the tall, wild haired brunette that was swaying dangerously on his feet was nearly choking, but he'd grown used to it. He'd been with his best friend _many_ a time when he was drunk. Fortunately for him, he was harmless; a little stupid, but harmless. He smirked, and rolled his eyes. His eyes that were the cause of many girls back home to be anxiously counting the days for his return.

They all knew the story of how he didn't _want_ to go off on this stupid expedition, especially at the age of 20, when he still had so much to do in life, but had been drafted under the threat of being incarcerated. And he couldn't have that. His father wouldn't permit anything to tarnish their high standing in society. But secretly, he'd been glad. He was sick of the swooning women and all the giggling and obvious flirting, simply for his looks! They know nothing of who he was; no one did. His parents didn't, nor did they care; his younger brother was blinded with all the pleasures that the riches their family had could offer him; if he'd been born ugly or deformed, it would've been better off; at least then _someone_ would attempt to know who _he_ was instead of falling instantly in lust with his 'magnificently cerulean blue eyes' and the 'pure gold in his hair' and, of course, the 'dazzling smile that could make just about every woman in town sigh'.

For instance, he was fascinated by the stars. And constellations, and basically the night sky. He got a rude awakening as to what his _parents_ wanted when he was quite young, an he told them of his wanting to study the stars and night sky as an adult, only to be shooed away from the fancy dinner party they were currently holding and lectured later on about how he shouldn't want anything less than what he could get, and how he was being horribly selfish what with not wanting to uphold the family status and become something worth his _time_.

"You're on, Tai," he replied, drawing cheers and more bets from the men around them. It had been a few hours since they'd landed and set up camp on this alien territory, and the men were all bored. So, most of them turned to the vast amounts of wine stored on their ship. The to men took the short walk from their encampment to the river banks, flinching ever so slightly at the unexpected icyness of the water.

"You still sure you wanna race me?" Tai slurred, grinning.

"Those 20 pieces will be mine. I'm gonna prove finally I can swim better than you!" Matt said smiling, crossing his arms. "Hey, Izzy, come over here, see who wins!" he called back, over his shoulder, to a much shorter, much smaller, red headed boy, who looked about 17.

"When I say go, jump in, and then whoever reaches that rock over there first wins. Are you ready? On your marks, get set, go!" he cried, and with that, the two jumped in the river.

'This is easy' Matt thought, halfway in, slowly going numb from the cold. He could hears the calls and cheers from the banks. All of a sudden, the sound of wild thrashing reached him. He lifted his head and fought against the current just in time to see his best friend, slow and weak from all the wine he drank, struggling greatly against the current- and losing. And within a second, he was gone.

"Tai!" he immediately let the current take him over to where the other boy was supposed to be, but he was gone. He dove underneath the black surface into the dark, cold environment, but somehow, managed to grab hold of something. It felt like a shirt or some kind of cloth, but it didn't matter. Matt immediately began to kick and swim upwards with all his strength. He could now feel the effects of the cold on him, draining his own strength. With the last of it, he made it close enough to be able to push his friend onto shore, but by then, he could feel all of it leaving him, and slowly stopped fighting it, becoming less and less aware of where he was, or of the other men yelling his name and calling out to him, and just let the powerful river take him away, also taking him out of conciousness.

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

"Sora! Daughter, what are you doing out here? You will most likely catch something if you stand this close to the river at this hour," her father said softly to the girl, standing out on a rock at the edge of the river, staring down the rest of the river way, as if she were waiting for something. She smiled, and turned around to face the man.

"I don't know. I just like to come out here sometimes, and think. It's really quiet out here, and I can think about anything, or not. And besides, it just seems like something I needed to do; I can't explain it, but something told me to stand out here, like something important is going to happen," she frowned, apparently, this was what she was thinking about when he came out and interrupted her. Instead of questioning her further, he just smiled and nodded.

"Father, look! I think... it looks like a person!" she suddenly jumped off the short rock and waded into the shallow water, staring out at a dark point, floating now slowly down the river.

"What... Sora, wait a minute!" he started as she ran further in, just in time, and caught the man. With some difficulty, she pulled him to shore.

"Mimi! Mimi, come out here, and brink some blankets!" her father called out, staring at the boy. Why, he looked no older than Sora, who was only 18 years old herself! What was he doing in the river? Where did he come from? And that wasn't the only thing that drew his attention. Or, apparently, everyone else's. By now, the commotion had drawn people from their huts and nearby fields where people were still wandering, attending to the chores leftover from the day.

What drew the attention of everyone was the fact that he was so light skinned, so pasty white, and even whiter with the frigidity of the river water. And his hair! What an odd color for someone's hair! It was very... yellow... for them there was no other way to describe it... other than even yellower than their sunflowers or corn stalks. Was he part of the foreign encampment that was reported to be but a few miles away from their settlement? He looked no older than his daughter, but could he possibly be a threat? His thoughts were interrupted, though, when a young girl, about 15, with light brown hair and matching eyes, came running out into the cool night air by his side with a heap of skin blankets thrown over her shoulder, her eyes wide with the sight that lay in front of her.

"Mimi, here, give me those..." Sora reached up absentmindedly, taking a blanket and throwing it over the stranger, never taking her eyes off him.

"No Sora, It'd be best if we got him inside as soon as possible... we don't know how long he's been in that water, or even if he's still alive... especially at this time of year..." a tall man with blue-ish hair stepped forward, also staring at the stranger.

"Right, right... someone, help me carry him into the tent..." with that, it was only a few moments later when he was carried into a large tent, obviously a doctor's tent, and set to rest on a large skin by a small fire.

"Everyone out, we need some fresh air in here people!" the doctor, the same tall man with blue-ish hair, said loudly, ushering everyone out.

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The next morning, Sora awoke unusually early. Sitting up in her bed, she groggily thought about the day ahead, which led her instantly to yesterday's events. For some reason, she felt like something major was about to happen; she couldn't explain it; it was just a feeling of part dread, part anxiety, and part waiting for something she knew was going to be good. After a rushed breakfast consisting of a piece of fruit and hurriedly getting dressed, she arrived at the doctor's tent early; the sun was just now barely peeking above the far off mountains and surrounding forest.

"Joe? Joe, you up yet?" she whispered, as she carefully pulled back the flap and stepped inside. "Joe? Where'd you go?" (A/n: haha, I love that line from season one, I had to use it)

"I'm up, barely, but I'm up Sora, just a moment," she heard in the darkness, along with a rustling and the sound of a stifled yawn.

"How is he?" she asked trying to see exactly where he'd be lain.

"Oh he's doing surprisingly well for someone who had just floated down a freezing river in the midst of winter. Still not awake, but he seems pretty healthy. My guess, from what they tell us of the invaders, is that he's about your age, maybe a little older, somehow got in the river, underestimated the power of the current, and before he could get out, the cold had set in and he floated downstream." Joe said as he poked at the dying fire, and loaded it with new hunks of wood. Sora stepped inside, thinking.

"So he's definitely one of them?" she asked quietly. She was quite disappointed. Didn't know why, exactly, she was just disappointed that he was part of the people that were killing their own, that her father was so insistent on raging war on. Even though he was very... _dfferent_ looking, she still found _something_ about his features... the odd shade of his hair, his unusually light skin, and just a lot of other things about him to be... well... _attractive_. At first glance he didn't appear dangerous at all... she couldn't imagine him being someone who would raise a sword to anyone else threateningly. He looked like he'd be someone kind of like her; calm, collected, caring, not at all a barbarian that her father described these people as.

Before she could carry on with her thoughts, the young man stirred.

"Is he awake?" Sora wondered alound, and immediately sank to his side. She gasped. She had seen some pretty strange looking people... the tribes to the north weren't exactly what you'd call anything nearing attractive, especially after being captured in battle. And some of the ambassadors from eastern tribes had pretty peculiar shaped heads. But she'd never seen anything quite like _this_ before. Who would've thought that eyes came in the same shade of the magnificent sky? Or more like the river in summertime, when the sun hit it just right and it was clear blue. This stranger's eyes made even their most painstakingly crafted gemstones look like a beginner's practice.

"How are you feeling?" Joe voice, wheezy with allergies and the early morning, cut off her thoughts. The stranger looked up at the both of them, taking them in, as if he were in a dream and expected to wake up at any moment. When it didn't happen, he shot up, looking around frantically.

"Whoa, calm down there... you're ok, we're not going to hurt you," Joe attempted at calming the stranger down but with little luck; he just succeeded in distressing him further. He crawled back a little, as far away from these... these _people_ as he could. Were these the cannabalistic barbarians his commander had lectured them on? He had been instructed to get out his sword and without any hesitation cleany cut their heads off if he saw the natives. But one: he didn't have his sword, and two; there was a woman in the room. His age. She couldn't _possibly_ be as ruthless and evil as he had been told, could she?

"Hey, calm down! It's fine! We're just trying to help!" the man who had been talking to him before repeated. "Do you remember anything that happened before you came downstream?" he asked, forgetting trying to calm him. The stranger's face twisted into a confused look.

"Came downstream?" he repeated. Meanwhile, though he hadn't really taken so much as a glance at Sora, Sora couldn't take her eyes off him. In all his... _alien-ness_, was the only word she could think of to describe it, he was... strikingly handsome. He looked somewhat like an albino (and she had seen a few traveling), but... he still retained color... especially in those beautiful eyes of his. The oddest color! Who had even _heard_ of _blue_ eyes?

"Yes... the chief''s daughter here, Sora, saw you floating downstream and pulled you out. Luckily, the cold hadn't set in _quite_ too much, but I must tell you, I didn't think you'd last the night." Joe explained calmly. Matt looked over at Sora, and subconsciously pulled away even more. He had never seen such strange eyes! They were the same color of her hair... it reminded him of... well, he didn't exactly _know_ what, maybe _fire_, and that wasn't especially comforting, but it was all very alien to him.

What was her name? _Sora_? Not only were her eyes strange and her hair, but her name as well.

"Excuse me... do you remember anything?" Joe repeated, not at all annoyed at his delay. He didn't particularly notice how he was staring at the girl next to him, but Sora sure did. She was slightly alarmed at the way the stranger was just... _staring_ at her. With the weirdest expression too. Did he think she was a wild animal about to strike? That's what it appeared he was thinking when he shrank back at one glance at her and started staring at her. She had half a mind to slap him and yell, "What? What's your problem? Do I have some huge deformity on my face I'm not aware of!" Frankly, she was getting quite annoyed.

"Huh? Oh... uh... not really... I was... racing Tai and he.. he was drunk and nearly... drowned..." he trailed off, talking to no one in particular. Joe looked at him quizically before thinking _The cold must have really got to this poor man's head_.

"Oh... right... you were racing... Tai? Was it? And then..."

"Yeah! I was racing my friend Tai in the river, and he was drunk, and then he started to go under the water with the current, so I pulled him out, and then that's... the last I remember..." he finished.

"So, where _are_ you from?" Sora spoke up, startling the stranger again. He again turned to stare at her, making her even more annoyed with him.

"I'm from... well... wait a minute! Where am I _now_!" he finally realized.

_Nice going, Matt. You almost gave away our position to this barbarian tribe. You idiot,_ he thought.

"You are in our village, that is all you need to know," Sora answered diplomatically, but with a hint of annoyance in her voice. He narrowed his eyes at her.

_What did I do to _her_ to make her so prissy?_ he thought, now getting annoyed himself, but holding his tongue.

"Right... well, Sora, I'll be back, could you watch him for a while? Don't worry," he added, when Sora looked at him as if saying _Are you crazy?_ "I'll post a guard outside. I need to go restock my supply of herbs," and with that, he exited the tent. Sora kept her head held up, but looked anywhere but the man. He did the same. After a moment's silence, she finally spoke up.

"So, where _are_ you from? Are you really one of those monsters who are invading our lands?" Sora asked, ready to jump up and run if need be and with an eyebrow raised.

"_Monsters_?" he asked incredulously. _She thinks _we're_ the monsters_? "_We_ aren't the monsters. At least we're not cannibals!" he narrowed his eyes and said with and icy look.

"_Barbarians! _How _dare_ you call us barbarians! We are not the ones landing on a foreign shore and taking over lands of which you have no _idea_ of any culture or history of! My people have held this land for centuries, and you think you can come in and take it from us!"

"We are trying to _civilize_ it! DOn't pretend you don't know hwat I'm talking about... you're cannibals and even if you do kill me, I won't give our position!" He replied angrilly. "Why are you holding me here? Let me go, dammit!" he continued. Sora narrowed her eyes.

"I don't have to listen to this," she muttered, stood, and walked out. On her way out, she nearly bumped into Joe and her father.

"Sora... we have a few... where are you going?" Joe started as she walked hurriedly by.

"I'm leaving him... I might go savage and decide to kill him and feed him to the village," she replied furiously, not slowing down at all.

TBC

Wow, It's only been 10 or 20 minutes, and Matt has already pissed off Sora. Nice.

Okay, so how was that for a first chapter? I'm gonna try to finish this before posting any new ones, but I'm so horrible at that! I LOVE posting new fics! But the problem is, I get bored half way through, and want to post all my other ideas. So its kinda sucks. But I'm gonna try my very best. I'll probably have this updated soon. If not, you can throw sporks at me. Please review!


	2. Chapter 2

I am SO disappointed! I got... what... _113_ hits and guess how many reviews? TWO! What the hell? Ok, so maybe it's not such a bug deal. But still... _I_ thought it would be a good story... tell me if it actually sucks. Please. I'll take it off. Thanks. To those who _did_ review:

XpunkqueenX: Lols, I don't know. I hate Sora (sorry Sora lovers), I hate Sorato. But I guess some stories jsut work better with Sora, and saome work better with Mimi. Sora just seemed to fit into this one better than Mimi. Oh, and thank you SO MUCH for reviewing! I really appreciate it:D

JyouraKoumi: no, I like ... just not in a romantic sense, but I still like Izzy... I just thought it'd be better if he was younger than the others, and kinda short. Dunno why. And thank you:D

OK, this is a really short chappie, which is why I'll try to have hte next one out by tomorrow. It just clears some stuff up (somewhat) on why Sora gets so pissed at Matt.

Mrs. Ishida presents...

Chapter 2

"Sora! Sora, where'd you go?" The younger girl with light brown hair called. She sighed and wiped her forehead with her arm. It was after noon, and it was getting hot. _I shouldn't have to search for her out in this heat... it'll kill me. She can take care of herself,_ the girl thought to herself. She stopped in a small clear patch of the forest. Looking around, she finally got an idea.

_If she's not there, then I have no idea where she is_, she thought as she headed in the opposite direction, back into the dnese forest, to a familiar tree. A few minutes later, she arrived.

The tree was very tall; it was obviously hundreds of years old judging by its massive girth and height, and all the knots in its bark. She looked up.

"Sora! Are you up there?"

Silence

"Sora, If you don't answer me this minute, I'll tell father it was _you_ who ate half the cornbread before the harvest festival 4 summers ago!" She smirked. This kind of threat _always_ worked on her older sister. A small head surrounded by fiery red popped out from a space in the many branches, grinning.

"Yes, Mimi, I'm up here. How'd you guess?" the head called back. Mimi rolled her eyes.

"I've only know you since, well, I don't know, _birth_?" she grinned back. the figure was now quickly coming down the tree.

"Not quite... I'm older than you, you must remember," the girl replied.

"Oh sure, rub it in," Mimi smirked.

"I swear, if you could climb and descend that tree any faster, you'd be a monkey," she continued, as the other girl jumped down to the ground.

"Well, I've only been climbing it since I was five. Anyways, so what's going on? Does father need me for something?" Sora asked, as they started to head back in the direction of the village.

"Well, no, not exactly... he just wanted to know where you stomped off to in such a hurry," she answered, and seeing her sister frown and furrow her brow, she added, "What happened in there?" Sora clicked her tongue impatiently.

"You know, the typical foreigner, either think they're better than us, think they can conquer us, think we're barbarian cannibals, or all three. In this case, it's all three. That jerk accused us of being cannibals and backed away from me like I was a wild animal. He refused to answer any questions and was completely rude, even though we _did_ save his pathetic life." she replied indignantly. "Ingrate," she muttered under her breath.

Mimi sighed.

"Sora, you can't jump to conclusions here. You of all people shouldn't be reacting like this. You understand and care about everyone," she said to her siter. Sora rolled her eyes.

"Not ungrateful foreigners who insult you without even knowing who you are or where he is or what your people are like," Sora crossed her arms.

"And you especially should know how he feels. He wakes up in a strange tent, and people start coming in. He doens't know who these people are or where he is, or even if they speak his language. He has _no_ idea if they're going to hurt or kill him, and what happened to him." Sora stopped.

"Mimi, please..." she started.

"Sora, I know you don't like to be reminded of this, but really... how did _you_ feel? Don't you think they thought the same things about you?" Mimi asked soothingly. Sora glared at her.

"It's not the same and you know it. We aren't evil people who try to... well... we aren't _hurting_ him in any way, are we?" She replied angrilly, tears just starting to form.

"No, but still... it's all really strange to him, and you know it's terrifying. He's reacting just like anyone did, and I know you're going to hate me for saying this, but probably just how you did," Mimi told her calmly, then walked off to the village, which was now visible through the trees, leaving Sora there, thinking.

_She's right, but I'm still angry at the things he called us... maybe I _should_ try to understand his point of view and go talk to him_.

TBC

Okie-dokes. I expect 2 more reviews. At least give me that. Anywho, this chapter was _unusually_ short, I know, but its point was to givfe some more info on her past. Which it did. Anyways, please, _please_ review. I'm a review whore and LOVE my reviews! So if you read this, PLEASE! I mean, 111 people stopped here, and not all of them by accident.

OK, I'll stop begging. Hopefully I can repost tomorrow or sooner. Later!


	3. Chapter 3

I actually got some reviews from some DIFFERENT people! Yay! anyways, hope this update isn't too late. It's finally snowing! Yay! For the first time in TWO YEARS! YEAH! And ONE more week until Spring Break! Wheee! Thanks to those who reviewed (even thought I got 237 hits!)

To the.child.like: Yes, it does count! Thank you so much! I feel so flattered! Yay!

To JyouraKoumi: yeah, I think I might make it Koumi... that would work... I was planning on that. Hope you like this chappie!

To Key: Thank you! Hope you like this chapter!

To nickygirl: Yeah, I was wondering when someone would ask me about that. I know, I took the plot, but I just love it so much!

Enjoy chapter 3!

Mrs. Ishida presents...

Chapter 3

"Where are you from?" chief Takenouchi asked, eyebrow raised, slightly irritated at the stranger's stubborn nature.

"Why should I tell you?" the young man sneered.

"I am the chief and I _demand_ to know where you're from!" the chief replied angrilly. Joe was getting mighty uncomfortable.

"Well I _demand_ to know where I am!"

"I am not joking! Tell me where you are from and who you are or else you will face dire consequences!" the chief roared. Matt didn't flinch a bit. There was silence. then,

"No," Matt replied quietly, looking striaght into the chief's eyes, as if daring him to give him his worst.

The chief looked as if he was about to explode.

"That's it! Tie him up, and take him to the prisoner's chamber! Now!" he roared, and almost immediately, the guards stationed outside rushed in and took him forcefully by the arms. Matt didn't even try to resist, and ignored the dirty looks the guards and the chief were giving him. As he was being led out, Joe spoke up.

"Are you sure you're doing the right thing? He's probably just scared from not knowing where he is or anything about us," he said, still a little shook up from the loud yelling.

"Yes, Joe, if he won't talk willingly, we'll get it out of him _somehow_," the chief replied quietly, and walked out of the tent. Joe sighed.

(Later)

Sora had gone back up in her tree. She loved that tree. She'd been able to climb it since she was 4 years old, and ever since then, it was _her_ tree. It was her thinking place, a place where she could go to escape people she didn't want to talk to, or who she was angry at, or just when she wanted to be alone. It overlooked the river and the forest, easily being one of the tallest trees in the forest. There was one flat spot where she could stand and do anything. She'd even spent the night up there a few times in the summer when the hut was too hot.

She had been sitting here thinking for a few hours about what Mimi had said. She knew she was right, but she didn't want to admit it and she _definitely_ didn't want to admit that or explain what had happened to her to the stranger. She didn't even want to talk to him or see him.

Well, that was a lie. She had been telling herself that all day, and yet she knew it was a lie. Not only was she extremely curious about who he was and where he came from, she just liked to look at him. In all that strangeness, he was _still_ more attractive than anyone in her village. Or than anyone of the neighboring villages, either. She walked into her village and looked around, trying to think of where her father would be at this time. Finally she found him at the other side of the village, apparently just thinking. Which wasn't something he did often.

"Father?" she asked quietly, but loud enough that he snapped out of his thoughts and turned around. His serious look was replaced with a smile.

"Sora, there you are. Mimi tells me you got angry at him, " she didn't need him to tell her who 'he' was, "and you went up in your tree for a few hours.,"

She nodded.

"Well, don't worry; I've had him locked up and put away, and if he still refuses to tell us any information, I'll have him executed."

Sora immediately felt an uncomforable and very unfamiliar feeling in her stomach, like something was gripping her from the inside.

"No, father, please!" she said, with more desperation than she really meant. He looked at her in surprise.

"What is it?"

"Well, I was just thinking... what if I went in to talk to him some more; to tell him everything that's happened... made him more comfortable... I mean, Mimi was right... he's probably just scared of being in an unfamiliar place an all," she explained in a rush. Her father gave her a strange look.

"Please? I'm sure I can do it. Just hold off on any plans of execution or anything. Please father," she pleaded. He sighed.

"Oh, fine. I doubt you'll be able to get through to him; he seems _pretty_ stubborn. But, whatever makes you happy," She grinned, and sprinted off in the opposite direction.

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Matt sat in the dark, slightly damp and uncomfortably chilly tent. His hands were tied behind his back around a tall pole that went through the top of the tent, and he was _dying_ to scratch his leg.

'Damn it! W_hy_ do I have to get itchy at a time like this?' he grumbled to himself, fuming. His hands were starting to tingle and go numb, and the breeze running through the tent was starting to make his skin numb also. Suddenly, light from the outside came pouring in, blinding him momentarily, as someone walked inside. A strange scent of something, something spicy, filled the tent. Matt realized just how hungry he was; he hadn't eaten since the afternoon before.

As his eyes adjusted to the semi-darkness again, he recognized the figure in front of him. The bright red hair, the odd name- Sora. The chief''s daughter. What the hell was _she_ doing in here? After that royal hissy fit she had thrown?

She sank to her knees with a tray in her hands. It looked like a bowl of soup and a half a loaf of bread. It did look appetizing, but Matt wasn't about to give in to whatever they wanted just for food.

"I brought you some soup... it's fresh... I made it just this morning, and the cornbread's pretty fresh too," she said quietly, almost completely avoiding his eyes. Her voice was soft, but he thought it sounded like she was trying to be humble.

"What's she planning now... she probably poisoned the soup...' he thought, eyeing her and the bowl suspiciously. As if reading his mind,

"I didn't poison the soup... it's really good," she said, reminding him quite like a child who was eagerly trying to please a parent. She looked at him for a second, cleared her throat, and looked away, seemingly a little embarassed. After a few moments and him not making motions indicating he wanted any of the food she had brought him, she looked up.

"What do you want," he asked coldly, as his stomach protested the stalling, staring her down. She looked so timid and afraid at this point, he almost felt bad for her. For a split second he felt like a jerk for being so cold to her when she was trying to be nice to him.

"Nothing, I jsut thought you might be a little hungry," she whispered. He continued to stare at her angrilly. She then added louder, "I wasn't that hungry for a few days either when..." she stopped, looked up at him, then suddenly rose to her feet. "I'd best be going... things to do..." she mumbled. but as she was exiting the tent, she was stopped.

"Wait!" he said, glad she stopped. He was curious now; something had happened to her before; she looked as if that was an unpleasant memory. She turned around.

"What?" she asked, knowing his question.

"What happened... to you?" he asked, all coldness and anger gone. Sora bit her lip; she hated recounting her story to anyone. It still gave her nightmares. Seeing her reaction, he immediately felt some sorrow for her; she may have been a heathen barbarian, but something had obviously happened to her that affected her deeply.

"You can tell me," he said, not thinking at all that it sounded stupid that here he was, after being rude and ungrateful and just hating her moments ago, and now was telling her that she could confide in him. Apparently she wasn't thinking that either; she didn't get the normal feeling of dread that she got when someone asked. She _wanted_ to tell him. He'd understand... well, sort of.

She sank back down to her knees, and took a breath.

"When I was about 7 or 8, another tribe, one of our rivals, kidnapped me during a brutal war we were going through... I didn't know whether they were going to kill me or anything... Father was telling me to be careful when I went out in the forest alone, and I didn't listen," she said, he throat starting to constrict and hurt and her voice shaking ever so slightly, while she tried to hold back her tears, doing a pretty good job of it. Matt felt awful; she looked like she was about to break. He actually liked seeing her angry at him than like this. She swallowed, and continued.

"A warrior took me back to their camp a few miles away, and the whole night I was tied up."

Matt knew that wasn't the end of the story. But he was almost afraid to know what else had happened to her.

"What did they do to you?" he asked very quietly. She didn't answer immediately, as if she was getting ready to reply.

"The whole night... I was... well... they all were quite drunk and catching the rival chief's daughter was just making them even more big-headed than they wer already," she replied with a disguted tone. "And they... I... they just... _all_ of them, about the 10 who were still conscious after the huge celbration they were throwing, one after one, just... took advantage of me... I was only 7 years old and was completely defenseless, and afterwards they jeered at me and mocked me and some were so drunk they were violent and hit me," she broke down sobbing, surprising him because she had managed to keep her composure during the rest of the story.

"I'm sorry," was all he could think of to say. What _do_ you say to someone who just told you all this after you were a complete ass to them? She was... _scarred_ in a way that he would never understand, and all he could think of to say was 'I'm sorry'. Why was she telling this anyways? He was a potential threat to their village, and she should want _nothing_ to do with him. _He_ should have nothing to do with _her_, but this was painful to watch.

_would it be this hard to listen to and watch this if it were someone else?_ he thought, half wishing his arms were free to comfort her. She was trying to stop, but the tears just kept coming. She felt like such a fool.

_Why am I telling him this and letting myself cry like this? I don't even cry like this when I'm alone... I don't even know him... He probably thinks I'm an idiot,_ she kept thinking. A few moments later, she regained her composure, it being only disrupted by the occaisional hiccup.

"I'm sorry for that... I usually don't act like that... I don't know what got into me," she said quietly, her head down, quite embarassed.

"It's alright... I really don't know what to say except... I'm sorry," he replied.

"I should be sorry... for how I behaved back in Joe's tent. I guess after... what happened... I don't really take to foreigners that easily. I mean, it wasn't anything about you personally, it's just..." she trailed off.

"Yeah," he replied.

"So... did you still want that soup?" she asked, then laughed a bit when his eyes lit up and he eagerly said "Sure!" She placed the tray in front of him and was about to get up to leave when he asked,

"Uhh... I don't mean to be rude, but could oyu untie my arms... I think it might be a bit easier to eat,"

"Oops," she giggled, and walked behind him. As she was untying the rope, she gasped as she saw his wrists were somewhat raw and a little bloddy from being roughly tied up with the rough rope.

"Oh my god... they really didn't have to tie you up so tightly... your arms look horrible," she said with furrowed brows as she freed his arms.

"Yeah, I know... I'm fine... I've been through worse than this," he replied, rubbing his wrists before digging in to his meal.

They spent the remainder of the afternoon talking and laughing, before she realized how dark it had gotten. It surprised her how fast the time had gone, and also how much they had to talk about. And how they went from hating each other to ebing completely civil and even friendly to each other. She left somewhat unwillingly leaving him to think about what just happened.

_Who knew someone who could present themselves as a complete bitch could be easy to talk to?_

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"It's all my fault," The brunette moaned, holding a small block of ice to his throbbing head.

"Tai, for the last time, it is _not_ your fault." the young red-headed boy rolled his eyes. The brunette flopped back on his makeshift bed.

"Yes it is, Izzy, and you know it... If I hadn't gotten drunk, then I wouldn't have challenged him to a race, and then he wouldn't have had to save me and then he'd still be here. Instead, he's somewhere down the river, who _knows_ where, perhaps _dead_, and it's all my damn fault!"

"I'm sure he's not dead," Izzy told him. _That's a lie_, he added mentally.

"And when we told the captain, he didn't even care... and it's all my fault he's dead... Izzy, what if he got captured by some cannibalistic tribe?" Tai moaned, his head under a pillow.

"Tai, we'll find him. Some of the men do care, and they're out there right now searching for him. I'm sure he's okay," he said. _Lies, lies lies_, a voice inside his head kept singing.

"I should be out there too!" Tai yelled frustrated, banging his fists on the bed.

"Tai, you know your leg is broken, you can't do anything!" Izzy said for what had to be the 6th time this hour. Tai grumbled something incomprehensible from under the pillow.

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Well, how was it? It was a tad bit longer than the last, but not by much. I know. Hopefully I'll be able to update sooner next week, on Spring Break! Just what I need, some R&R! Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Hey all! Que tal? Well, It's been 5 months since my last update. What have I been doing that's been keeping me away for so long?

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!

Hehe.

Well, I've been reading some fics, and I decided to get around to updating this, since people seem to like it, and I like the idea to. I know where it's going, It's just it's hard to write out. Ever have that happen to you?

Well, here are thanks to the readers (who are hopefully still gonna read this after a 5 month hiatus)

To Xio: Thanks so much! I don't know how I keep cranking out Sorato ideas… it's weird. I support Taiora 100 percent and all, but sometimes, Sora just _works_ for some ideas!

To Key: hehe, well, It'd be a tad difficult if they didn't.  Sorry for the long wait!

To the.child.like: Hehe, getting a little into the story, eh? That's OK… I hope you like this chappie… it's not really funny… It's just diplomatic.

To JyouraKoumi: Well, I've been reading fics, and now, Koumi actually is now of my favorite couple… they're just so cute! He's so smart but shy, and I can see her teasing him all the time, making him flustered! 

To nickygirl: I love the movie too! Would you believe it made me cry?

To Kaye Ristina: Hey love! I know your grounded from the computer for forever, but I still wanna say, that IS the best damn review I ever got! Lol. I LOVE YOU!

Chapter 4

The next morning, at the very crack of dawn, Sora arose. Feeling a need… for a…. a… refreshing morning walk…, she dressed quickly and headed out towards the prisoners tent.

The air was still and cool, as the sun was just peeking over the hills and trees, not yet touching on the village. As she neared the tent, she heard voices. She stopped.

"I am quickly losing my patience. What is the position of your army?" an angry voice asked quite loudly, making no attempt to be somewhat quiet so early in the morning.

Silence.

"I am the Chief of this village and right now you are at my mercy. At any time I can order your execution, so I suggest you work with me rather than against me. It is by some great force that you are still alive now, taking into consideration your insolence," he said, this time with little more control than last, but still with obvious irritation.

More silence.

Sora knew her father; she knew his temper quite well. She could feel it rising, even outside the walls of the tent.

'I'd better go in before he completely loses it,"

She took a breath, and stepped in. The sudden sunlight surprised the men inside, Matt looked away squinting and her father and another man, Joe, turned abruptly.

"Sora, what are you doing up at this hour?" her father asked, in a swift change of mood. Matt almost inaudibly sighed with relief.

"I woke up, and decided to go for a walk, and I heard all the commotion in here," she explained, taking glances at Matt every so often, who was in turn looking at her as if she were his saviour.

"Oh, well, nothing is going on in here that would interest you, love. You need not concern yourself with our matter of…_diplomacy_… at hand," her father smiled, resting a hand on her shoulder.

Sora's eye twitched a bit. She hated being treated like a little girl. Her first reaction was to argue 'I'm NOT a little girl anymore, father; I think I can listen in on this conversation'. After all, it was _she_ who found him in the river, was it not? And for some reason, she felt bad for him.. she knew how rough and intimidating her father could be… he didn't seem like a threat. And besides, he had no way of communicating with his people, so it didn't matter whether he told them anything about them or not.

But reason came to her. Arguing like this would only make the childishness in her stand out more. She took a breath, still a little piqued at being talked down to.

"Father, you have no sons. One day, I'll be chief of this village. I'm going to have to learn one way or another to handle these kinds of things,"

Her father smiled. She cheered inwardly.

"Alright… I do believe it's time you got involved in matters such as these." Her father relented, before turning back to Matt.

'Oh dear lord, save me,' he thought. The moment the chief turned back to him. His face went from caring to angry in less than a second.

"Now… you don't have many chances left, and not many options. I suggest you choose wisely." Her father said, voice shaking.

"Again, why should I tell you?" Matt retorted, an indignant look on his face. He suppressed the urge to smirk… that would only get him deeper in trouble with the Chief.

"Because, as it stands now, your options are this: tell me and we preserve your worthless life, or don't tell us and we have you executed." Her father crossed his arms, peering down his nose at Matt.

Sora couldn't take any of this. Sometimes her father chided her for acting immaturely, but seriously, telling the prisoner his life was worthless, we don't care about you, and we could care less whether you lived or died wasn't going to solve anything. She rolled her eyes.

'_How can he be acting so daft? This isn't going to get us anywhere,'_ she thought, irritated.

"Father, insulting him and threatening him multiple times isn't going to do anything,"

"I'll say!" Matt interjected. Sora gave him an icy cold glare. "Sorry," he mumbled, looking down at his lap.

"Anyways, he's here with us, and as long as we have him, he can't communicate with his men, so he's not a threat to us, right? So why should we treat him as a threat? He hasn't done anything to give any suggestion that he's threatening our village, and-"

"Sora-"her father cut in.

"Wait, father, let me finish," she interrupted. "I know I may sound a bit naïve, but really. Let's just keep him here, under watch, mind you," she glanced at Matt, "but since he hasn't done anything to us, except float downstream, try to see if we can persuade him to try to help us make peace with these invaders to avoid an ugly war?" she finished. The tent was completely silent. Her father appeared to be thinking.

"If I may interrupt… I… rather agree with Sora on this… he doesn't seem to be intent on doing us any harm… and I'll go with anything that may stop the looming threat of war," Joe cut in, quietly. The chief looked up.

"Well, Sora… I really underestimated you… you really have grown up in these few years… alright… we'll go easier on him… but any, and I do me _any_ hints that he may be planning anything, and he'll be under harsh penalty. You got that?" he asked, looking down at Matt. Matt didn't look back.

"Yes sir," he mumbled.

"Alright, well, thank you Joe, Sora… I'm going to go see what I can find to eat… I haven't eaten anything since yesterday afternoon," her father said and left.

Joe was about to say something, but seeing the look on Sora's face, which was unintentionally, but obviously, saying 'I'd really like to talk to him, alone', he took his cue and also exited.

Sora watched him go, and smiled, looking down. She could feel Matt staring at her, knowing well the look on his face.

"I can't tell you enough how much I owe you," he simply stated. She grinned and looked at him.

"I'll say!" she mocked him, still grinning. He smirked a little. "Just… don't do anything stupid, and don't act like a smart alleck. I don't know here I pulled that whole speech from, but apparently it worked. So if you do _anything_ to get yourself back in the doghouse, I swear…"she trailed off, wringing an invisible neck in her hands. He grinned.

"I won't, I promise."

'_You liar, Ishida… you know you can't help but be a smart ass. It's in your genes._' he thought.

She looked at him, somewhat disbelieving him, scrutinizing him, but after a moment, her face brightened.

"You know what, I'm starving too… how about I go get some breakfast for the two of us, and you can tell me more about this land you came from!" She smiled. He nodded, also smiling, and she left.

'_Normally, I would've put up defences about that… but she seems genuinely interested in where I came from and who I am… not for the sake of finding out about us, but just about me… I really feel like I can trust her, which is weird; I don't trust anyone, and if I do, it takes me years. How could she have gotten my trust over a few days? Am I just going soft?'_ his thoughts were interrupted by the tent flap opening again, and a familiar figure entering, this time carrying a tray.

"Sorry, but it's cold, and it would take too long to start a fire, heat it, and all that. I hope you like cold bread and fish!" she said apologetically with a matching look on her face as she sat down.

"It's fine, it's a lot better that what they gave us to eat for months at a time on the ship," he chuckled as she untied his hands. Upon hearing her tisk, he chuckled more; his bloody and bruised wrists were always a source of irritation towards her father; it just amused Matt.

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Okeidokes, well, he made it without (majorly) pissing anyone off. Yay Matt!

Tell me if this chapter sucked. I'll try to have the next one up soon! Don't hold your breath on it though! (I'm so unreliable).

Bye!


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